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03/14/2012

I was in an exercise class the other day and the instructor spoke about making time for you and getting in the Gym. He spoke if we can make time to meet people for lunch or coffee why don’t we make time for our health. He asked why people put themselves last above most anyone they live with. He said some people don’t come to workout because they have chores to do, kids to feed or spouses to tend to.

Then he said if for some awful reason your health was poor and you were to be removed from this earth you would have left those things for someone else to do anyways. This immediately triggered a debate with my sister because she thought it was ridiculous that any of those things could be put aside and her going to the gym would trump any of the needs her kids may have.

Well since then I gave her several examples of where she could make the time if she really decided this was something she wanted to do. I think we sometimes forget how important our health is and in reality how did we spend our time each day.

So to that instructor who planted this seed in my head, I share this story in hopes that it can touch one person to embrace a healthier lifestyle and just take time for themselves.

The point here is that we tend to accept those labels put upon us either personally or professionally. We then think we must live up to those certain labels and the expectations that have been placed.

Someone told me over the weekend they were fat, because someone had mention to her she was fat. Well we got to talking and you know she is missing to see all the wonderful labels or qualities she has and is too busy focusing on the negative.

The next time you label yourself in a negative way remember that is not all you are. Turn it into a positive thing and label yourself for all the positive things you are and have as an individual.

You can switch labels put upon you easily, if I wanted to say I was a USC fan I could label myself that and just carry on well we can do that with other pesky labels people like to judge us about. Maybe the next time we are quick to label someone we should think of the effects it can have on someone.

02/16/2012

These are a few quotes I look at often when I find myself looking for inspiration. Sometimes I can use that extra word of encouragement or a visual reminder. Hope you enjoy some of the ones I picked out from a fellow blogger.

02/15/2012

I have to say the Gym is one of the places I really enjoy going to because of the feeling I get when I walk out. Not only is it the place that has transformed my body but it really is an amazing place to go release your stress. Whenever I walk out of that place I feel like I have such a different outlook on the rest of the day. The biggest challenge is getting my behind in there but whenever I have that feeling of not going, I remember the rush I get when I walk out of there it makes it all worth going.

I thought I would share my view I see several days a week, it never gets boring it is interesting to see how many people stay and how many change as the months have gone by. I had a funny thing happen this week, one of the other trainers at the Gym said how little I had gotten he was staring at me. I had such a sense of accomplishment when someone whose job it is to train people said that to me. It does feel nice to know all the hard work and dedication does pay off one pound at a time.

02/12/2012

I have taken a few days off from posting in reflection of an important day that is approaching for me; it is the most important kind of Love I have found. This Valentine’s Day is the first in 6 years where I am able to say I am loving myself and everything else is falling in place. I always heard several experts say that the key to any kind of happiness is self love, and only then can you reach a happy place. I have discovered in the last few months this could not be truer. Learning to love myself has taught me the importance of acceptance and realizing there is no such thing as a perfect body or ideal weight to meet.

I see now that loving myself has truly been a force for me in the last few months of being able to get as far as I have. I have lost 92bs and that comes with a lot of digging within and not just making that decision on a whim. So maybe Valentine’s Day is about chocolate, flowers, hearts, fancy dinners out and having a date. This Valentine’s Day is one that will define the love I have for myself and I am so happy to announce it out loud for once in 34 years and it feels marvelous. So to anyone who doubted my ability to reach the place I am at now or ability to move on and move forward, eat your heart out because no one will stop me and I am in the best time of my life.

02/08/2012

Today is snack day I will share two new items I tried and how I felt about each one. I try to change it up I can never eat the same thing all the time just how my body gets use to the same exercises I also try to switch up the food. I do eat fresh snacks too but today is my Trader Joe’s snack day.

I bought the Wasabi Seaweed Snack and I absolutely will never try it again, I don’t like the dry texture. It was too smelly for me and I felt like I was having a piece of paper dissolve in my mouth yuck….

The popcorn is air popped and it was excellent; the serving size was very generous. The serving size was 2 ½ cups I wouldn’t even eat that much anyways, at 110 cal 3 Fat grams I am sold. I haven’t talked in a blog post about serving size yet; it is one of the biggest attributes to loosing my weight. I recommend this popcorn and you can even shake some chili powder on it or pepper for a little kick…no butter! = p

02/07/2012

Here comes the bad news with Happy Hour sorry to be the bearer of bad news. If you choose to perhaps have a virgin drink or a drink that is not so virgin you will need to know a few things about those things we like to toast to. I will list a few drinks below with calorie content so you can see where the calories go, I don’t need to list beer that doesn’t even make the list as it’s not an option when you are trying to loose any significant weight and maintain. A few key pointers, if it is blended, colored, milky or has an name that you have never heard you may want to watch out for hidden calories and even fat if there is any milky substance or chocolate going on.

If you do enjoy a drink then you will need to go towards clear liquids that don’t carry all those hidden calories or color that translates to sugar. So let’s say you splurge on a Lemon Martini, vs. a crystal light lemonade at 5 cal with your choice of clear liquor you would save an average of 250 calories per martini by using the crystal light mix instead of standard lemonade same taste I promise you this. The food at happy hour if it is fried guess what?... your eating maybe 2 days worth of the fat you should be eating, go for maybe edamame, instead of fries or chips and salsa. So the next time your out for happy hour these are hidden calories we don’t account for but really are significant in our everyday intake.

02/06/2012

This is a little list of things I don’t miss 91 lbs ago. I will never be any of those things again. I will never miss any of those things because I realized that after all that waiting Kathy has been here this entire time I just needed to find her.

I don’t miss being a wallflower

I don’t miss never wanting to go out with my some of my best friends, family and high school friends because I didn’t feel comfortable.

I don’t miss having hopes, goals and dreams that never happened, and putting them off for one day in the future.

I don’t miss the feeling of thinking someone was staring at me, when they probably weren’t.

I don’t miss any of those feelings I had that got me here in the first place.

I don’t miss dreading to go buy something to wear.

I don’t miss any of the tears.

I don’t miss anyone telling me they thought I couldn’t loose more weight when I had lost 60 lbs...

02/02/2012

After a nice workout my 5th meal of the day is a delicious smoothie. This smoothie is not loaded in calories I will provide the exact recipe below. I cringed at first when I used the raw egg white; however it makes a difference with wonderful frothiness and you get a bit of protein. I keep the fruit frozen as it then serves as an ice cube as well. The only milk I use for anything is TJ’s Almond Milk un-sweetened Vanilla. This is the only way I will take in sugar in a natural form from fruit, it really kicks a sweet tooth when you have one. I buy all of my berries from Costco best quality I found that were frozen and great quantity. I should also mention the only kinds of egg’s I eat now are Eggland’s Best the nutrients are much healthier than the average egg.

02/01/2012

I can think of working out perhaps 8 days without my IPod, the music drives my workouts and literally encourages the speed I workout in. I have invested in ITunes largely and will continue to do so because it is amazing to hear good music and get off a machine feeling fantastic. Those times when I didn’t have my IPod I was the most anxious to get off the machine and go home. I still go on health sites to see the monthly playlist they have up and I love it. I will share some songs I have on my IPod I cannot speak enough how music has changed my life hope someone out there tries this if they haven’t already. If anyone wants music lists just email me I will let you know what I have on my IPod. Cheers to working out to amazing music and getting fit this is a new month full of possibilities for all of us.